"The family is the school of duties . . . founded on love." - Felix Adler

Joel Ferree Gunshop

Ferree made rifles were prized weapons.

These "Pennsylvania-Kentucky" rifles had features that distinguished them from all other guns made during the period.

The Background

Early Pennsylvania was mostly woodland. In order to survive, settlers had to depend on their rifles for hunting food and for protection. Their only choice for survival was a rifle. When the settlers came to this country they brought guns with them but soon realized those old style weapons were too heavy, too short, and requiring a lot of powder to fire the few balls they could carry, were not suitable for conditions encountered trying to meet their needs in this new land. In order to accommodate those needs, the Pennsylvania-Kentucky rifle was developed.

The Pennsylvania-Kentucky Rifle

The Kentucky rifle did not originate in Kentucky. It was first developed in the Pequea Valley, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. Very few were made in Kentucky. Owning a rifle in Kentucky was essential for survival but there was no way to build them there. It was almost impossible to transport gun making equipment across the Kentucky wilderness and no one there at that time with the skill needed to make guns. Much better to have them made where equipment, resources, and skilled craftsmen were available and the finished product then brought to Kentucky. Hence the name, "Kentucky Rifle".

Where better to have them built than Pennsylvania? There, the Ferrees in Lancaster County were gunsmithing and producing remarkable weapons. Where they learned their trade is not known for sure but it is thought that possibly Isaac Lefevre may have had some training before coming to America and passed on his knowledge. The Ferree made rifles were prized for their construction and appearance. They were light weight which made them easy to carry when hunting or traveling, the light weight ammunition made it possible to carry a larger supply, quick to load when immediate loading was needed, and accurate since "the first shot had to count". Stocks were usually made of maple wood selected for the beauty of the grain and embellished with intricate carved designs and inlays of silver or brass decorated with delicate engravings. When finished a Pennsylvania-Kentucky rifle had individual characteristics that would distinguish it from all other guns made in the period.

The Ferree Gunsmiths

Major George Bennett Ferree mentions the following in his "Ferree Family Gunsmiths. There may have been othersnot known to us, but these are the most prominent and those for whom there are records.